Since 2002, Absinthe Originals has been offering the best absinthe antiques and vintage absinthe bottles from France and Switzerland, the motherlands of the Green Fairy, but also from Spain, the USA and all countries where absinthe was produced in its heyday.

Banned for almost a century until its recent revival, absinthe is something of a "living fossil", a coelecanth amongst drinks, able to magically transport us back to the glittering world of Paris and the Belle Epoque, a world of bohemian musicians and writers, of the Moulin Rouge and the cafés of Montmartre, a world of starving struggling artists and glittering courtesans.

To drink a pre-ban absinthe from 1910, from the era of Toulouse Lautrec and Van Gogh, of Verlaine and Rimbaud is an extraordinary and life enhancing experience - this is truly, in Barnaby Conrad's words, history in a bottle - one has the feeling of reaching back like a time traveller into the distant past, and feeling for just a moment a flicker of the warmth of a summer's day on a Parisian boulevard a century ago. Vintage absinthe is far rarer than ancient cognac, pre-prohibition bourbon, or any other vintage spirit. Every surviving bottle is a precious relic. No more than a few hundred people on earth have tasted vintage absinthe (most of them via this website).

Some previously sold bottles of vintage absinthe. For bottles in stock, please visit Absinthe Originals:

Absinthe Pernod Fils - "Garanti Fabriqué en 1913"

This is the classic "benchmark" Pernod Fils with the labels overprinted "Fabriqué en 1913" (made in 1913). This is a very rare bottling - these bottles were the very last stock produced by Pernod before the ban in 1914. They were sent to Holland for safekeeping and a small quantity were released 25 years later for export in 1938 with this special overprinted label. The balance of the stocks was unfortunately destroyed by bombing during the war. Photos show the bottle still covered in the original cellar dust!

Absinthe des Alpes C. Comoz

Established in 1870 in Chambery in the Savoie region, C. Comoz specialized in a uniquevermouth blanc (white vermouth) and an equally remarkable absinthe "Absinthe des Alpes",based on a local recipe, and using mountain herbs.

The absinthe is extremely pale amber in colour, and louches almost white. My belief is that this absinthe was originally a blanche, and the slight colour now is simply a result of a century of ageing. It's not possible to say this with absolute certainty, it may instead have been an exceptionally pale verte. The aroma and flavour of this absinthe are quite wonderful, very floral, licorice root and green anise of the very finest quality are both noticeable, the louche is thick and rich, and yet the absinthe has an extraordinarily refined feel in the mouth, very feminine and perfumed in character. Really quite remarkable!

Absinthe Premier Fils 65%

An exceptional absinthe bottle: an intact ABSINTHE PREMIER FILS, one of the greatest brands of the Belle Epoque era. As you’ll see in the photos, it has the complete original branded capsule, quite wonderful!

Absinthe La Constantine - Constant Farcat - Circa 1910

Constant Farcat was a prominent Burgundy-based distiller specializing primarily in absinthe, but also making a well known kirsch. Established in 1896, they remained in business up until the ban in 1914. Their beautifully named absinthe "La Constantine" was a regional favorite, and was, unusually, sold in a clear glass bottle. This Constant Farcat was a prominent Burgundy-based distiller specializing primarily in absinthe, but also making a bottle likely dates from around 1910, and was found lying alongside in the same cellar as the Cusenier bottle Constant Farcat was a prominent Burgundy-based distiller specializing primarily in absinthe, but also making a shown above.

This is the first intact bottle of this marque to be discovered.

Absinthe Pernod Fils - Circa 1905

A superb bottle of Absinthe Pernod Fils in excellent condition - very good level, neck-foil largely intact, branded wax seal, label complete with only very minor scuffing. The contents are bright and clear. The bottle still shows slight crudity - bubbles in the glass - and likely dates from around 1905. This is the classic absinthe of the Belle Epoque, the benchmark by which all others are judged. Bottles in such pristine condition are extremely rare. A very desirable bottle.

Absinthe Jules Pernod - Circa 1890-1895

This is an extremely rare bottle, only the forth Jules Pernod bottle we have handled in 15 years. Even more interestingly, this is a particularly early bottling, as can be seen from the crude hand-blown bottle and irregularly applied glass neck seal. Jules Pernod was an entirely independent firm, based in Avignon, which fought bitter trademark battles with Pernod Fils over the use of the generic term "Un Pernod" - and ultimately prevailed in the courts, winning the right to call its product "Un Pernod" in the same way Pernod Fils did.

Absinthe Verte J.L.T. - Circa 1880

This extremely rare and unusual absinthe dates from - at least - the early 1880's. The hand-blown bottle is extremely crudely made, with an exceptionally deep punt, extending nearly 4 inches into the bottle. There are many irregularities and bubbles in the glass. The label - printed in green only - is typical of French and Swiss examples recorded from the 1850's to 1880's. It's possible this bottle is considerably older than 1880, we have erred on the cautious side in dating it. The distillery or producer name "J.L.T." is not recorded in the literature, but is likely to be a small manufacturer, probably of Swiss origin.

Absinthe Dornier-Tuller - Circa 1890-1900

A very important find: a circa 1890 - 1900 "Vieille Absinthe Dornier", missing the label but otherwise in quite outstanding condition. Remarkably good level, three-quarters of the way up the glass seal on the shoulder. Crisply struck original green wax seal. Largely intact neck foiling. This bottle comes from cellar well known to us from previous finds, it has lain undisturbed since - at least - the 1930's. The one litre capacity bottle measures 31 cm tall and has a deep punt with inverted tip. The glass is heavy and handblown, with some crudity, especially around the base. The bottle likely dates from the 1890's.

This is the most important cache of Spanish-made Pernod ever found - 30 bottles dating from the late 1950's, all with excellent levels and sound corks, the absinthe perfectly preserved. The damp storage conditions mean the original labels are all damaged to some degree, and in some cases are missing entirely, but it's precisely these conditions that have preserved the corks (and the absinthe inside) so perfectly. All the bottles have the famous embossed "Pernod" glass seal on the shoulder, and all have most of their original neck foil. Each contains about 900ml of absinthe.

After the ban in France in 1915, a small part of the original Pernod Fils company decamped to Tarragona in Spain, and continued making absinthe according to the original recipes and protocols. Production continued in a small way until the 1960's. This is the absinthe Hemingway wrote about in "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and elsewhere, and is the closest thing available to pre-ban absinthe.

This is a rare find, very few US-labelled Pernod Fils bottles have survived in this sort of condition. Marvellous near mint label, really excellent level, substantial remains of original green wax seal on the cork (which protrudes about a millimeter above the lip of the bottle but which is original, untouched and in excellent condition). The staining visible on the neck foil is not seepage from this bottle - another liquor bottle stacked above this one must have leaked on it at some stage. US-labelled Pernod Fils like this is rare and very sought after.

Absinthe J.V.& Ca - Neufchatel (Doubs) - Circa 1880

Very early and crudely hand-blown bottle of great character, with an exceptionally deep punt (around 8cm) and many irregularities in the glass. The bottle has a non-standard capacity of 0.65 - 0.7 litre. Intact label, and the remainder of the original red wax seal, on which the Swiss Cross can just be made out. Good level, and no moisture or seepage round the cork. The contents are amber coloured, bright and clear.

Absinthe Edouard Pernod - Lunel (Herault) - Circa 1870-1880

This is an exceptional bottle. The branch of Edouard Pernod in Lunel was sold off and changed it's name to Gempp Pernod in 1880, so this bottle can be dated with confidence to prior to that date. It's the earliest intact sealed absinthe bottle yet unearthed.

Handblown one-litre bottle with many small bubbles and irregularities in the glass, as one would expect from a bottle of this era. Crudely applied glass neck seal, and perfect fully intact branded wax seal on the cork. Not a trace of seepage, and an excellent level. Beautiful label, in overall very good condition. The contents appear in excellent condition, amber coloured, bright and clear. A highly important survival from one of the greatest marques.

Absinthe Suisse Grande Distillerie Lyonnaise - Circa 1890-1895

This is an exceptional bottle - a circa 1890-95 Absinthe Suisse, marked "Grande Distillerie Lyonnaise". Lyon was a noticable centre for absinthe production, and an "absinthe Lyonnaise" was a specific regional recipe (a high percentage of angelica root in the distillation, and veronica added to the colouring step). This is the first example of an absinthe Lyonnaise we have found. It's an absolutely superb tasting absinthe.

"Absinthe Suisse" was the highest quality designation possible in the era, indicating a naturally coloured absinthe of the finest quality. The wording "Grande Distillerie Lyonnaise" almost certainly indicates that this was manufactured by the Ferrand Freres distillery in Lyon.

The bottle has a capacity of around 600ml and is crudely blown, maybe dating from even earlier than 1890-1895.

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